Australian consumer rights group sues Valve over refund policy

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, an independent authority put together by the Australian government to protect consumer rights, is suing Valve over its Steam refund policy. As is widely known, Valve's refund policy states that it does not offer refunds for games purchased through Steam. As a result, the ACCC alleges that this rule goes directly against Australian consumer law. The ACCC says that the law applies to any business providing goods within Australia, reports Kotaku, and as such, alleges that Valve has no right to say Australia consumers cannot get a refund on Steam purchases. "It is a breach of the Australian Consumer Law for businesses to state that they do not give refunds under any circumstances, including for gifts and during sales," states ACCC Chairman Rod Sims. "Under the Australian Consumer Law, consumers can insist on a refund or replacement at their option if a product has a major fault." Valve's Doug Lombardi responded to the lawsuit, stating, "We are making every effort to cooperate with the Australian officials on this matter, while continuing to provide Steam services to our customers across the world, including Australian gamers." The Sydney Federal Court hearing is due to commence on October 7.